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THE BATTLE OF MURFREESBORO.

moving toward Nashville, some loaded and all the ambulances filled with wounded. Early in the morning H. P. VanCleve's division, commanded by Colonel S. Beatty and supported by Willam Grose's brigade, was thrown across the river from the left and formed line on a hill in front of Breckinridge who had resumed his position on that side of Bragg's right. On the morning of the 2d there was some shelling on Rosecrans' left, but elsewhere everything was quiet. There were indications, however, that Bragg meditated an attack on Rosecrans' left, whereupon Davis' division was ordered from the right to the left and some changes were made on that flank. From his headquarters west of the river Bragg perceived that Rosecrans had again occupied the high grounds on the east side of the river and that Polk's line could be enfiladed by artillery placed on the hill occupied by the right of VanCleve's division. As they must be dislodged or Polk must be withdrawn Breckinridge was ordered to take the hill and occupy it with his artillery. The two brigades that yet remained west of Stone River were returned to Breckinridge and he was reinforced by 2,000 of Wharton's and Pegram's cavalry and some artillery. Breckinridge formed his division in two lines of two brigades each with two batteries of artillery in rear, his whole force, exclusive of cavalry, numbering 4,500 men. At 4 o'clock the four brigades began the attack and after a severe fight broke and drove.

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from the hill and toward the river the two right brigades of VanCleve's division. The Confederates, flushed with success, were not content with merely following out orders, and instead of stopping at the hill pursued the Union troops, but soon paid the penalty of their rashness. Major John Mendenhall had placed 58 guns in a commanding position on the west bank of the river and as the Confederates advanced opened fire which, together with the infantry fire, drove the Confederates back in confusion. That part of VanCleve's line which had not been forced across the river then attacked the fleeing Confederates. A Union brigade at once crossed the river in pursuit and the Confederates were driven back to the position from which they had advanced, with a loss of 4 guns and over 1,700 killed and wounded of the 4,500 engaged. Night fell and Davis' and T. J. Wood's divisions were sent across and intrenched on the hill for which the two forces had been contending. A cold, heavy rain storm continued throughout the night and the next day (the 3d), fearing a rapid rise in the river Rosecrans withdrew all his troops from the eastern side of it. The day passed in comparative quiet and, under the erroneous impression that Rosecrans was receiving reinforcements, Bragg on the night of the 3d withdrew to Tullahoma, 36 miles away. On the 4th Rosecrans buried his dead and on the 5th occupied Murfreesboro. The Union loss at

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Hindman's efforts to revive the Confederate cause in Arkansas and Missouri - Activities of guerilla bands — Schofield's orders Organization of the militia-Assessments on Confederate sympathizers Contests with bands under Porter, Cobb, Poindexter and others - Operations in Missouri - The battle of Prairie Grove.

In April of 1862 Missouri was in charge of General John M. Schofield who had recently been promoted to the rank of brigadier-general of volunteers. When Halleck started from St. Louis for his Corinth campaign, he left with General Schofield only the brief instruction to "take care of Missouri." This instruction was difficult to execute. After the battle of Pea Ridge in northwestern Arkansas under General Curtis, large numbers of Missourians on taking the oath of allegiance were allowed to return. home and the guerilla bands were for the time virtually suppressed. After Schofield took command, however, these bands again began to be very troublesome. About the end of May of 1862, the Confederate general, T. C. Hindman, arrived at Little Rock with orders to revive the Confederate cause, but he met with little encouragement, writing: "In the existing condition of things General Beauregard could not spare me a soldier, a

gun, a pound of powder nor a single dollar of money." Accordingly he assumed the powers of a military dictator, reporting as follows:

"With the view to revive the hopes of loyal men in Missouri and to get troops from that State, I gave authority to various persons to raise companies and regiments there and to operate as guerillas. They soon became exceedingly active, and rendered important services, destroying wagon-trains and transports, tearing up railways, breaking telegraph lines, capturing towns, and thus compelling the enemy to keep there a large force that might have been employed elsewhere." †

Official Records, vol. xx., pt. i., pp. 215, 674, (the numbers of the Confederate loss as given on the latter page being less than that in the text). See also Cist, Army of the Cumberland, pp. 87-135; Van Horne, History of the Army of the Cumberland, vol. i.; Ropes, Civil War, pt. ii.; Battles and Leaders, vol. iii., 600-637; Swinton, Decisive Battles of the War; Nicolay and Hay, Life of Lincoln, vol. vi., pp. 282-296; Pollard, Second Year of the War; Alexander F. Stevenson, The Battle of Stone's River, near Murfreesboro, Tenn., Dec. 30, 1862, to Jan. 3, 1863; Confederate Military History, vol. iv., pp. 148-149; vol. v., pp. 112-119; vol. vi., pp. 110–111; vol. vii., pp. 100-114; vol. viii., pp. 57-77; vol. ix., pt. i., pp. 155-168; vol. x., pt. i., pp. 179-182; vol. xi., pt. i., pp. 165-168.

Official Records, vol. xiii., p. 33.

SCHOFIELD'S ATTITUDE TOWARD CONFEDERATES.

Accordingly Schofield was forced to employ many severe retaliative measures. In his order of May 29, 1862, he said:

"The time is past when insurrection and rebellion in Missouri can cloak itself under the guise of honorable warfare. The utmost vigilance and energy are enjoined upon all the troops of the State in hunting down and destroying these robbers and assassins. When caught in arms, engaged in their unlawful warfare, they will be shot down upon the spot."

This had little effect, however, and on June 23 he issued the following order:

"The rebels and rebel sympathizers in Missouri will be held responsible in their property, and if need be, in their persons, for the damages that may hereafter be committed by the lawless bands which they have brought into existence, subsisted, encouraged, and sustained up to the present time. These lawless bands could not exist in Missouri a single week but for the aid of influential and wealthy sympathizers, many of whom have taken the oath of allegiance to the United States-only to violate its spirit while they observe its form-so far as to escape punishment. If these people will not aid in putting down the demon they have raised among us, they must pay the damages. The sum of $5,000 for every soldier or Union citizen killed; from $1,000 to $5,000 for every one wounded; and the full value of all property destroyed or stolen by guerillas will be assessed and collected from the class of persons described above and residing in the vicinity of the place where the act is committed." †

*

This order, like the previous one, was ineffective and disturbances increased to such an extent that on July 22, 1862, another was issued by Governor Gamble to organize all the militia of the State, so that any portion of it might be called into active service whenever needed in

* Official Records, vol. xiii., p. 402.

† Ibid, p. 446.

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threatened localities.* ization became known as the "Enrolled Missouri Militia," and more than 50,000 men were mustered, of whom 30,000 were armed. One of Schofield's problems was the status of secessionists and secession sympathizers; and as only those of proved loyalty were permitted to bear arms, it was resolved that the secession sympathizers should be made to contribute to the support of those actually enrolled. A tax of $500,000 was levied upon the secessionists of St. Louis County "to be used in arming, clothing and subsisting the enrolled militia when in active service."

In spite of Schofield's efforts, however, the Confederate emissaries continued their work. Schofield says: "The desperate and sanguinary guerilla war which for nearly two months raged without cessation may be said. to have begun about July 20, 1862, by the assembling of small bands under Porter, Poindexter and Cobb, who immediately began to rob and drive out the loyal people." It was estimated that these guerillas numbered about 5,000 and the principal theatre of their operations was the northeastern division above the Missouri and bordering on the Mississippi. The band under Porter was pursued by the Union cavalry for 12 days and driven a distance of nearly 500 miles. On July 28 Porter and Cobb were defeated in Calloway County on the Mis

* Official Records, p. 506. † Ibid, p. 12.

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ACTIVITIES OF THE GUERILLAS.

souri River but three days after Porter captured Newark and two companies of Union troops. On August 6, however, at the battle of Kirksville, Porter, with a loss of 180 killed and about 500 wounded, was completely routed. This broke his power. Poindexter's band of 1,200 men was next followed and on the 10th, while attempting to cross the Chartam River, was captured by Colonel Guitar with about 600 men. Soon afterward the band under Cobb dispersed or formed itself into small parties and continued plundering. After some time, however, these small bands were hunted down and killed, captured, or driven out of the State.

Almost simultaneously a rising occurred near the western Missouri line. On August 11 the garrison at Independence was compelled to surrender and immediately afterward the Confederate general J. T. Coffee was found to be advancing with about 1,500 cavalry. Major J. W. Foster with 800 men and 2 pieces of artillery set out from Lexington to effect a junction with Colonel Warren in command of 1,500 men from Clinton. Foster's intention was to attack Hughes and Quantrel who had gathered a large force, but upon his failure to join Warren he ventured an assault upon Coffee and Hughes alone at Lone Jack in Jackson County. Confederates were shaping their campaign to repeat the capture of Lexington on the Missouri River, and after a severe conflict in which Foster was

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defeated they began the movement to effect this coveted result. General J. G. Blunt, however, was called into Missouri with his Kansas troops and the converging Union columns drove the Confederates out of the southwestern corner of the State into Arkansas. In his report General Schofieid says: "From the 1st of April to the 20th of September our troops met the enemy in more than one hundred engagements, great and small, in which our numbers varied from 40 or 50 to 1,000 or 1,200 and those of the enemy from a few men to 4,000 or 5,000."* On September 19, 1862, Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas and the bordering Indian Territory were organized into a new department called the Department of the Missouri and placed in command of Major-General Samuel R. Curtis. Accordingly Schofield took the field in person and gathering what troops he could at Springfield set out on a campaign toward southwest Missouri to meet the expected invasion from Arkansas. Schofield's force numbered about 11,000 in all, with 16 pieces of artillery. The military manœuvres, however, were of little significance and resolved themselves into small contests between Union and Confederate posts.

On September 30 General Salomon with 4,500 troops was defeated at Newtonia. Schofield then hurried to Sarcoxie and being joined by Blunt on October 3 advanced against the

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